United Snatch Dramatic Throwdown from Phoenix

It came down to the final possession and a huge play from Jo Lual-Acuil but Melbourne United further consolidated top spot while just about burying South East Melbourne Phoenix in their enthralling 90-88 Throwdown win at John Cain Arena on Thursday.

This time around, it was do-or-die for the free-falling Phoenix who needed to win having lost six of their past seven matches to stay any hope of taking part in the finals.

Coach Simon Mitchell used every trick in the book to engineer a win, including the shock inclusions of development player Owen Foxwell and injury replacement Lachie Barker in the first half to disrupt the United scout.

In the end, though, it came down to the heroics of Lual-Acuil with clutch plays down the stretch.

United had to surge back from a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter and a seven-point deficit at three quarter-time to back up their win in Perth on Monday night.

The final quarter was a three-point frenzy and captain Kyle Adnam appeared to have given the Phoenix the advantage with a late bomb to give his side a three-point lead heading into the final minute.

However, Lual-Acuil (13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists) rammed home two consecutive baskets and it was United leading by a single point with just 28 seconds on the clock. 

United coach Dean Vickerman was especially proud of the efforts of Lual-Acuil who recently became a father for a second time and has had a lot going on as a result.

"His energy levels have been a bit up and down but he was able to find it in those (final plays)," Vickerman said.

"I thought Jo had his challenge in the post ... Qi had an amazing game in the post. But Jo responded and Ariel (Hukporti) responded ... they found another level."

Jack White (13 points, three rebounds) had a chance to seal the deal but coughed the ball up driving into traffic. Then Adnam tried to seal the win, but it was Lual-Acuil who buried their cross-town rivals with enormous defence under pressure.

The last time these two sides met in a Throwdown, bronze medal winning Boomer Chris Goulding went off in the final quarter to bury the Phoenix. He was also instrumental in the final term here and finished with 20 points including five crucial three-pointers.

Goulding said they expected the furious challenge from the Phoenix.

"We spoke before the game about them having nothing to lose, being in desperation mode," he said.

"So are we, we have plans on where we want to finish. Credit to them, they made some good runs and I just love the way we locked down and relied on our defence again. That's a really good result for us against them."

You could not fault the Phoenix's desire, even if their execution was off at times. It was their game to lose, but United found a way to break their hearts once again.

Mitch Creek toiled for his 20 points and four rebounds while Zhou Qi did well to compile 17 points and seven rebounds despite hitting foul trouble. Xavier Munford had 14 points while Reuben Te Rangi had a nice cameo with 10 points and six boards, but ultimately it was not enough.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said fans should not expect them to put the cue back in the rack despite having now lost seven of the last eight.

"We've got a lot to play for. We've not won more than one game for eight games now, but we have been in every one of them," Mitchell said. 

"For us there is clearly motivation to continue, to try and get better and try and arrest the issues that we face and move forward. We've got a ton of motivation. This is not a situation where all is lost and throw it all in the kit bag. 

"We have been fighting our tails off at practice and I thought we fought pretty hard tonight, but those underlying issues continue to harm us. 21 points off turnovers and 26 second chance points, that's a whooping we are getting in those two areas."

After the Phoenix went up 6-2, Jo Lual-Acuil was quick to punish them for their lack of ball control, though, also letting the fans in green know all about it in the stands.

The Phoenix decided to inject 18-year-old rising star Owen Foxwell into the fray who did not disappoint, splashing a triple and drawing a foul as the Phoenix drew level. Zhou Qi was also toiling hard in the paint with 10 points on 5/5 shooting.

However, a late Chris Goulding splash from long range meant that it was United that led 29-24 heading into the first break.

Simon Mitchell was determined to keep the opposition guessing and injected Lachie Barker in the second quarter after he took the spot of an unwell Cam Gliddon.

It helped South East Melbourne get back within a point but Melbourne hit the Phoenix where it hurt, with Goulding and Matthew Dellavedova knocking down crucial triples that laid the platform for United to streak out to a seven-point lead - their biggest of the game.

Mitchell doubled down, putting Foxwell and Barker on the court at the same time. The Phoenix reeled off an 8-0 run and claimed the lead in the shadows of half-time. 

Qi returned in the third quarter for an immediate impact and Reuben Te Rangi also got hot as the Phoenix extended their one-point half-time lead into a 12-point advantage. 

United leaned into their physical brand of defence, grafting their way back to within seven points heading into the final quarter.

Melbourne seized on a Phoenix error slashing the margin to just three in a matter of seconds. When Jack White rattled the rim with a huge dunk, United was back in front.

The two sides were trading three-pointers, Goulding keeping his side in touch every time the Phoenix threatened to streak away. It was going to be a battle of attrition until the end.

A big hit from Creek gave the Phoenix a three-point advantage with three minutes left to play, but Dave Barlow responded in an enthralling battle. Then Te Rangi snapped a three-pointer and Vickerman called a relieving time out. 

It was a furious race to the finish line and both sides had their chances to grab the victory, but in the end the heroics of Lual-Acuil paved the way for the United victory.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 19

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 88 (Creek 20, Qi 17, Munford 14)

MELBOURNE UNITED 90 (Goulding 20, White 14, Lual-Acuil 13) 

BOX SCORE